This invention relates to a media blasting system of the type in which one or more workpieces are located within an enclosure and the workpiece is blasted by a media such as silica or glass which is ejected by air from a blasting gun against the workpiece. More particularly, this invention relates to an exhaust and reclaim system for the blasting media utilized in such blasting enclosure.
In the finishing of metallic parts it has been a common practice to enclose the part in an enclosure in which is located a blasting gun which forces the blasting media by air against the workpiece. In this blasting operation, the force of the media striking the workpiece and the surrounding apparatus, such as the holder of the workpiece, causes some of the blasting media to break up into fine particles which are suspended in the atmosphere of the enclosure. In such operations, the heavier media particles fall by gravity to the bottom of the enclosure where they are carried away by conveyors or air suction that draws the media from the enclosure. In addition, the air within the enclosure with the suspended media therein is drawn out of the enclosure and the media so withdrawn is discarded as waste. These systems have resulted in the waste of a substantial amount of reusable media which is an expensive material.
To our knowledge, any efforts to eliminate this waste of reusable suspended particles that are interspersed with the unusable suspended media particles within the blasting chamber has not been devised or found.